Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado protects some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America. Between the late 1100s and late 1200s, the Ancestral Pueblo people built homes and community spaces in the natural alcoves of sandstone cliffs. These dwellings—some with dozens of rooms—were connected by ladders, pathways, and small plazas. From a distance, they look like villages tucked safely into the rock.
Life at Mesa Verde required careful planning. Families stored corn, beans, and squash, and collected water from seeps and springs. Farmers grew crops on the mesa tops, where they could catch sunlight and summer rains. Pottery, sandals, and tools show skilled craftsmanship and everyday problem-solving. Kivas—circular, partly underground rooms—likely served as places for ceremony, teaching, and community meetings.
By the late 1200s, most people left the area. Drought, changing resources, or social pressures may have pushed communities to move south toward present-day New Mexico and Arizona. Although the exact reasons are still studied, descendants of the Ancestral Pueblo—such as the Hopi and many Rio Grande Pueblo peoples—keep cultural connections to Mesa Verde through stories and traditions.
Today, park rangers protect sites like Cliff Palace and Balcony House and guide visitors along narrow trails and sturdy ladders. Scientists use mapping, dating methods, and careful excavation to learn without damaging what remains. Mesa Verde reminds us that successful communities balance ingenuity with respect for place—and that people adapt when environments change.
1. What makes Mesa Verde especially famous?
2. According to the passage, what did kivas most likely provide?
3. Which detail best shows planning and problem-solving at Mesa Verde?
4. Why did communities likely leave Mesa Verde?
5. What inference can a reader make about life in the cliff dwellings?
6. Which sentence best states the central idea of the final paragraph?
7. Which statement is supported by the passage?